


Mardican Dane

by aj1t1



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-11
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:42:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21759262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aj1t1/pseuds/aj1t1
Summary: Mardican and Amlee are faced with a tough choice when the Jedi see a promising future for their daughter, Marci. This story explores the origins of Mardican Dane, who, decades later, would begin his own adventure with the help of his child.
Kudos: 1





	Mardican Dane

**Part 1**

Mardican Dane's head hung over the old table in his front room. His elbows were planted wide across the dusty tabletop, his fingers rubbing his temples. Across from him, Amlee paced back and forth. Her shoulders were tense and her thin arms were crossed. Two small windows let in the only light of their home. Amlee repeatedly glanced outside.

"Would we even see her again?" Amlee whispered.

"I don't know," Mardican replied. "This is her path. Her way to something different." Mardican looked up and around at the small room.

He grew up in a small home just like this one, on a poor farm just like this one. Amlee did too. The Republic had benefited many planets, but not this one. After a long day's work on the farm, when Mardican would find his way to the pub where farmers like him would go to pity themselves, he often heard whispers of a political movement to separate from the Republic.

Amlee looked once again out the windows. "He's coming back."

Mardican opened the door as the figure approached. Lightness filled the room. The Nautolan alien, with long green tentacles dangling from his head stood in the doorway. He smiled and said, "I sense good news."

The Nautolan's friendly demeanor and humble robes brought comfort and some regret to Mardican. Many years ago when Mardican was a child, a man with a goatee had come to their planet and given Mardican's parents a similar offer. Mardican showed great promise, or so the kind man said. But his parents declined.

Mardican looked back towards Amlee. She stared back at Mardican. After a brief moment, her shoulders dropped and she looked away.

"Marci's life will flourish from her training in the Force," reassured the Nautolan.

Pride swelled within Mardican. "You may take our child."

In the next room, the baby awoke with a gentle cry.

**Part 2**

Mardican sat upright in his bed. It was still dark. A terrible dream had disturbed his sleep. He'd almost sweat through the blanket. Amlee was not in the bed with him, likely in their front room drinking tarine tea alone. This was a typical routine of hers in the years since Marci's departure. As the parents of Marci, they were permitted to go to Coruscant and see her when she turned 3. But that was nearly three years ago. In fact, she'd be turning 6 in two more lunar cycles. "Very soon," Mardican thought to himself. He steadily exhaled as if to release the nightmare from his mind and then went to find Amlee.

She was sitting alone as expected, in near darkness. Mardican joined her in silence. The two of them sipped on tea and made no noise, as if waiting to hear something or someone in the home with them. Amlee still struggled even years later with the fact that their daughter was gone. "A better life for her," was Mardican's mantra when they argued. "She belongs with us, a better life be damned," she would recite back at him. The hard years showed themselves on both of their faces.

"Let's go back to Coruscant," Mardican broke the silence. Amlee's eyes turned, reflecting orange and green flickering lights from a farm droid resting nearby.

"Yes!" Amlee replied. The idea seemed to immediately shift the mood. The farmer droid hummed alive as the rising sun slowly cracked the edges of the two windows.

"I don't know if we can afford to go. And would they even let us see her?" Mardican asked, doubting his own idea.

"They will, the Jedi seem so occupied with the Separatists to make a deal of this," Amlee's excitement grew, "And as far as the cost…" here eyes had an electric glow, "I have an idea."

Later that same day, after making preparations for their farm with a neighbor, they were on a ship.

"We'll have plenty of time during the off-season to replace the farm droid," Amlee reassured Mardican, "And today will be a good day."

The transport took less than a day to arrive on Coruscant, but it was nightfall when they arrived. They peered out the window upon the city planet's surface. They passed near the capitol building, a great industrial farm, and also the oversized Sentoski Trade Bureau building.

Amlee whispered, "Just chaos, I think," though Mardican felt some excitement from the bustling city in her voice.

After another series of low-lying buildings, they finally caught view of the Jedi temple. But something was off about its silhouette.

"Are those flames?" Amlee rubbed her eyes.

**Part 3:**

Once they landed, the couple rushed from sub-dock to sub-dock looking for a speeder. Clone troopers were present on the dock, which they hadn't seen when they visited before. The troopers were stopping individuals and appeared to be interrogating them.

"Something isn't right," Mardican and Amlee ducked down together to a lower-level dock. They spotted a speeder. Amlee dropped in a few Republic credits into the receptacle while Mardican hopped into the driver's seat. As the speeder powered up, so did its comms system, set to a local channel. A stern voice came through the speaker, "…away from the area. Our reporting droids on the ground are telling us that an incident has occurred at the Jedi temple." Mardican and Amlee turned to one another in shock.

"You there!" A voice came from behind. A pair of clone troopers had made their way to their level and were headed for the speeder. Mardican engaged the engines and didn't look back. They were headed for the Jedi temple. The high winds dragged tears across Amlee's face.

"What is happening!?" Amlee cried over the engine. "I don't know yet!" Mardican yelled back.

As they approached the temple, only a small flame was left, being put out by vacuum droids. They smelled a thick, choking smoke in the air.

Mardican stopped the speeder on a pad nearby. Several clone troopers were here as well, tending to their wounded.

"What–" Mardican coughed, "–happened here? Where is Marci Dane?"

A clone trooper approached them and replied, "There's been a rebellion by the Jedi, sir. But don't concern yourself, all inside have been taken care of."

"What did you do?" Mardican pleaded.

"They're all dead, sir, don't worry about this anymore." The clone continued.

Amlee turned from the clone and ran toward the temple. Multiple others stopped her from advancing. Mardican had fallen to his knees. His eyes blurred and he couldn't make out the difference between the shapes ahead; the soldiers, his wife, the rubble, a dying flame, and black ash.

**Part 4:**

Over the next decade, Mardican sank into a deep depression. He hated himself for letting Marci go with the Jedi. And so did Amlee; the couple separated just months after the Jedi temple massacre. Amlee had moved back in with her family. It was the last Mardican had heard from her, and that was years ago.

His regular pub evolved into his daily pub. It was busy with frequent out-of-towners and off-worlders. He often heard whispers about what had actually happened between the Jedi and the now infamous Emperor of the new Galactic Empire. As time passed, whispers grew to rumors, and then into an accepted truth. The truth was that the Emperor desired ultimate control and the Jedi tried to prevent this. The truth was that the Emperor was responsible.

At his darkest point, with nothing and no one to lose, Mardican made his way back to Coruscant. The Emperor had made the Jedi Temple into his own Imperial Palace. Mardican made his way there to confront the Emperor with a blaster. He expected to die trying; an end to his regret and pain.

As Mardican snuck closer to the throne room, multiple stormtroopers made his position. He ran through several halls and passageways. During his escape, he fell into the lower levels of the palace, into the rotting Jedi temple foundation. Deeper he ran into the darkness. Until he was lost. He slid back onto a once-great pillar. He cried out, "Marci... Marci I'm so sorry."

Moments later, a blue-white glow appeared in the distance, around a corner. Mardican looked up. He stood and immediately stepped forward with a sense of familiarity. Two steps slowly before he was running towards the light. As he approached, the light sunk further and further into the labyrinth of halls and tunnels. Mardican chased.

Finally, another corner turned, and the glow was before him. A figure took shape. Slender. And short.

"Marci," Mardican gasped, "But... how?" They stepped towards one another. But Mardican stopped short of embracing her. He knew he couldn't. He was seeing a ghost.

Another ghost began to appear behind Marci. Much taller. A male figure. Human. With long hair and a goatee. He recognized this man. The one who attempted to recruit Mardican himself when he was a child.

"Hello, my friend," the figure spoke in a warm voice.

Mardican whispered with disbelief, "Qui-Gon Jinn...".

**Part 5:**

The rest of that evening in the temple ruins was spent between Mardican and the two Force ghosts. Qui-Gon Jinn attempted to explain in simple terms for the non-Jedi Mardican how both he and Marci had manifested before him. Before he died, Qui-Gon learned how to compose his spirit within the Force to reappear before those he'd met in his life. Additionally, he had found a way to help those that had died prior to learning this power, like Marci, to gather their scattered elements of Force and do the same.

Despite the rewarding hours of time spent in the company of his daughter, Mardican began to feel a mental strain. Qui-Gon explained the effort of Force required of Mardican couldn't be sustained for much longer. He bid his goodbye to Mardican and faded away, leaving he and his daughter alone. Before leaving, Marci had something to show Mardican.

"Follow me!" Marci motioned.

Marci walked back from where they came earlier. A left. Another left. But then a right. Ahead was a door barricaded by rubble.

"We likely won't see each other again," Marci's spirit spoke. "But I will be with you, always."

Facing Mardican, she smiled and began to back up towards the blocked door. Her glow swelled to a bright light. Mardican shielded his eyes. A deep buzzing began to penetrate his ears.

And then it was silent again. And almost dark. Where the rubble was, now a hollowed out path lie before him. The edges of the clearing were white hot, appearing burned away in a perfect circular shape. Steam lifted off of the perimeter of the path. With only a short delay, Mardican made his way through the clearing. On the other side was a small room with a tall ceiling. At the center was a pedestal. He slowly walked up to it. A singular object lay on top. He picked it up with his left hand and inspected it closely. The grip was perfect and a large, two-pronged guard was on the top. Mardican pressed the activation button. A blue light erupted from the hilt. It broke the silence in the ruins with a screech and then a hum; this lightsaber immediately felt like one he'd known.

"I will be with you…" a voice echoed. Mardican traced the voice up the tall ceilings and back down to the platform he stood upon and to the hilt itself.

Mardican powered down the lightsaber but held it tight. He looked at the ancient weapon in his hand and whispered, "I know."


End file.
